The bed looked too
comfortable to ignore, and Jiroh, for all that he could fall asleep
anywhere he wanted to, did appreciate comfort as much as the next
person, especially after having Atobe as a friend, and then a
roommate, for as long as Jiroh had. The bed looked appealing,
especially when he considered his own, currently unmade bed that
seemed to be miles away (the hall and the distance between his room
and Atobe's was not far, but he was sleepy) and a nap - just a short
one - was needed.

Which was why Atobe
found his roommate asleep on his, Atobe's bed, curled up in soft
sheets and hugging the down pillow.

"Jiroh,"
Atobe said, loudly, just above Jiroh's ear, "wake up." And
followed his orders by reaching over to shake Jiroh's shoulder,
receiving, as he expected, no reply. Jiroh simply shifted and clung a
little more firmly to the pillow. Atobe sighed and dropped his hand,
seeing no point in even attempting to try again to wake up Jiroh - it
would be pointless, for Jiroh was firmly asleep and would be that way
for hours, unless something interesting happened between now and
then. And Jiroh could sleep with the lights on, and noise in the
background, Atobe knew, although the fact that his friend was asleep
in his room prompted him to turn his music down low as he set out to
work.

Time passed - a few
minutes, an hour or two, Atobe wasn't sure, having lost himself in
the assignment he was working on - when he heard the first mumblings
from Jiroh, and turned to face the bed, ready to order Jiroh to his
own bed.

But Jiroh wasn't
sitting up or even shifting, simply talking, and Atobe turned the
music off completely, moving closer to the bed in order to hear.

"You smell really
nice," he was mumbling. "Almost like Keigo, but you're
warmer and more fluffy than he is. A better pillow." And here
Atobe frowned to himself, watching Jiroh's hand inch its way up the
bed to the pillow and cling to it. "I wanna keep you forever and
ever."

Jiroh's mumbling was
soft, growing softer by the minute, and Atobe quickly found himself
standing next to the bed, leaning in closer to the middle of it to
hear his friend better.

"But if I keep you
forever soon you won't smell like Keigo. So maybe I'll put you back
in here every now and then. But don't worry, I'll take you back. I
love you, pillow. Do you love me?"

Jiroh shifted on the
bed and Atobe drew back when he realized his roommate was now facing
him. But there was no need, for Jiroh's eyes were still closed,
although he was now frowning.